The_Lord_Poncho

Oh, that's a new one on me - thanks for alerting us!

Thanks all for your thoughts. Actually, i hadn't considered that venting the mag a bit would help it cool, and create the necessary temperature difference to assist filling. That would actually have been quite useful for me to do the other evening when i had the mag filling issue, and possibly goes some way to explaining why people feel there is some truth in the 'air bubble/lock' issue - if the 'remedy' is actually solving a different problem they didn't realise they had! I think i need to resolve the lack of temperature differential in other ways too - I might need to sew up an insulated sleeve for the gas bottle, within which i can chuck in a disposable hand warmer on cold game days.

I've come across posts (generally not on this forum mind) which indicate that you can get air trapped inside your GBB magazines, and to remedy they advocate purging them. Usually via a process of depressing the knocker valve for a few seconds as you fill them. Is this really a 'thing'? It seems surprising to me that air can become trapped in a magazine - and that it wouldn't as a matter of course vent out when you fire a few shots. Without knowing anything about how gases behave, I would also naturally assume that when you fill a mag, the liquid gas you are injecting falls to the lowest point, and any air that is trapped, rises to the highest point - in which case, with the mag inverted how would depressing the knocker valve release anything other than liquid gas? I'm not trying to start a debate for the sake of a debate - after the second fill of my hicapa magazines the other night, I only managed a few lacklustre shots out of each. Almost certainly because it was pretty cold + the gas can i was filling from was the same temperature as the mags; but I'm wondering if in parallel there could be other things that I could do to help.

I think your problem is that you are clearly using the wrong wooden cylinder. Tropical hardwood is what you want, just not that Beech!

You've gone and inspired me to dig mine out ready for some CQB action tonight at Invicta Black Site! I have been thinking of swapping the motor our for a high torque, but after a few dry shots earlier on a 7.4, to be honest I'm happy with its snappiness. Always a pain to rig a light and pressure pad onto it with a classic hand guard though. Good job that cocking handle isn't needed

I couldn't agree more. I suppose I'm just reflecting on the parallels - probably comes down to the definition of a public space. We pay to access private events/land each game day - as do the punters at ComicCon. Of course, when we turn up at said events, we would anticipate seeing Rifs, but arguably, people turning up for the private event on private land that is ComicCon would anticipate similar? Presumably armed police would have the same or similar considerations upon responding to a call from someone who has reported a gun being carried at an airsoft field as they would at a cosplay event. At least, one would hope that some logical thought process would go on upon receipt of and response to said call!

I'm not sure what the issue is here? We run around with RiFs at our own events, including have them in safe zones at sites where there are plenty of other non airsoft players. What's the issue with Cosplayers running around with them at their events?

Lovely blaster! I bought the same a year or so back, and its been a solid performer completely stock. I keep meaning to swap the hop rubber to see if that increases the range a tad - that's the only area I feel its a bit lacking compared with my other rif's. I enjoy how solid/heavy it is for such a little compact package.

Waiting on an SSX303 to turn up from Austria - made use of 75Euro black Friday discount. No idea if I've just wasted my money, especially as I recently built an (albeit problematic) AAP based carbine. But it does appear to be the one item from the Novritsch line-up that is slightly unique, and generally well received. Helped by the fact that I already have a stack of compatible Mk23 magazines of course. I'd be interested in peoples experiences with it.

Sack off the shotgun and AEP idea (Shotgun until you have been playing a fair bit and fancy switching things up, AEP for good). I'm biased, because my first gun was a Cyma 028 - and it was, and continues to be awesome.

A common issue with the Macaron rubbers I hear. I've certainly experienced it too. I can't say for certain, but i believe that the later 'super macaron' rubbers - the ones with the wavy lines/ribs around the outside rather than the earlier straight ribs - do not suffer from the same problem. Unfortunately they are somewhat harder to find for a good price, I'm reckoning that retailers bought up a large stock of the earlier rubbers and are still drawing down on that stock before they re-stock with the super macaron.

Slight thread revival, but I've placed an order for batteries with Hobbyking today , and can confirm the shipping is from the UK (and only cost £2.62 postage for 2x batteries) - a good stock now of common airsoft sizes. At only £5.33 for a 1300mh stick Lipo, I'm rather happy....

I presume that Scar H 7.62 sized mags are the same size approx as SR25 7.62 mags - if so, i find that a two (5.56) mag pouch will happily and neatly accept a single 7.62 mag (at least, the MTP Osprey ones do).

Great looking shooter! I have a cyma SR25, and its a heavy beast - maybe the Double Bell is lighter? The cyma stock is indeed good, albeit i frequently seem to get batteries stuck inside it, they are a pain to get out. I need to really devise some kind of solution. If you continue to have lock up issues that you can't solve without flicking to full auto, I managed to semi lock the cyma SR25 with a couple of suitably sized washers on the rear receiver pin - in between the receiver and the gearbox. Quite quickly reversible - certainly without stripping the gearbox down. Albeit I suspect if you want to take advantage of that, you would need to replace your modified selector plate. I presume it works also in the double bell, but not tried!

I rather too frequently leave the sniper rifle or DMR on the ground whilst i run into some short range conflict with the mk23/glock. And rather too frequently spend 5 minutes searching the woods to find where i had laid the damn things down!

I have a plan to make a plywood box, with a large 'kentucky' style mop head suspended inside to slow and trap the BB's, and with channels in the front edges of the box into which replacement sheets of appropriately sized cardboard can occasionally be slid. But for the past two years after conceiving this plan, I've been making do with a cardboard box stuffed with bubble wrap!

I have on my SR25 - think i used three O-rings on the inner barrel sandwiched between the hop unit and the end of the outer barrel in the end, but very much trial and error. Just added/removed until i seemed to get good feeding. I hadn't thought about the accuracy benefits to be honest - no idea if it has made an improvement to my SR25, but i did it as i had swapped out the stock hop unit and didn't have a suitable spring to pop there.

Awesome day Saturday at Driver Wood. My first full day, as i usually can only get away with mornings - but this time i got a pass from the wife as the rest of the family were out all day.... And what a difference that made to my game play. Rather than frantically rushing about in order to maximise my game play due to only having a few hours, i was able to slow things right down, and be a little more thinking. My usual 2:1 ratio of hitting enemy/being hit that i have been averaging, shot up to maybe 5:1. Goes to show just how much performance is affected by your mental state I think. There was also a few less players than normal (circa 25 per team), which i think helps my play style. First game i opted to run my L96 and Mk23, with just a slightly enhanced el cheapo chinese leaf jacket chucked on over to top of the faithful tiger stripe. Probably the first truly satisfying game I've had running as a sniper actually, and certainly the first where the L96 hits outweighed the hits i got with the Mk23 - I so often find the rifle ends up being a rather heavy decorative piece! Only downer was stacking it into a flooded drainage ditch, and snapping the suppressor off the holstered Mk23 when i stabbed it into the mud. Currently 3d printing a replacement to trial... Second game i ran the XM177, then for the two games in the afternoon, the DMR'd SR25 with WE Glock 19 as sidearm. Cracking games, fast paced, and the newly cleared patched of woodland at Driver Wood really played to the SR25s strengths - meaning that the MED disadvantage didn't outweigh the advantage of having slightly greater range . Still managed to get a few heroic charges into buildings and helicopters with the Glock though. All in, a great days airsofting, and despite almost always turning up to these days on my own, it turned out to be super sociable, chatting with some great guys over the day.

No experience with the CTM, so I can't answer the first part of your question. But re. your second - rotate the holster to your preferred angle and then fully tighten the centre screw (good idea to use loctite - blue- but I've never needed to). Don't leave it slightly loose otherwise it will be spinning around in no time like some kind of weaponised comedy bow tie.

To be fair, I used to exclusively use an MP5 or DE UTR smg on indoor CQB, but even then found the length of those restrictive. These days i almost exclusively use a pistol indoors - enabling getting onto target around door frames/walls etc much quicker whilst presenting less of the body for the enemy to target. And supremely satisfying at the same time!

Mixed morning at Driver Wood this past Saturday. I opted to play the first game with the L96 bolt action and upgraded Mk23. Had some great success - achieving around 7 or 8 'eliminations' in equal part with each of the Mk23 and the sniper - whilst only being taken out myself 4 times. Quite pleased with that ratio, and the newly opened up/cleared area of the site really lent itself to the longer range guns. My el-cheapo chinese leaf suit really came into its own - i only wear the jacket, and have modified it by sewing on patches of hessian threads to augment the nylon lines of fake leaves. For something so lightweight and cheap, it remains super effective whilst being breathable and non-snagging enough for a more active/mobile style of play. DTD holster riding on a padded molle belt was great for the MK23, but i need to rethink my storage for the rifle mags - they were a pain to get in and out of the little zip up pouch i had squeezed them into. Second game, i opted to bring ditch the leaf suit and rely on the rather effective Partizan/SS Leto camo suit and run the Cyma M14. Unfortunately it seems to be suffering a bit of an intermittent wiring fault, so cue some rather comical moments when i should have got the drop on handfulls of enemy players only for the rifle to refuse to fire, with inevitable consequences. I also tried running .28 bbs in it for the first time (not bringing any .25s to the site with me), and it was stubbornly refusing to lift them. A bit of a strip down, re-wire, and a upgrade with a macaron is in store i think! Might also try to pop in a ZCI tightbore at the same time to make use of the 20fps headroom that i have before hitting the 350fps site limit....

Yep - i think actually, the current batch have been reinforced following feedback, so you are probably ok. I keep on meaning to put some velcro and a patch on the back of mine to reinforce it, but never got round to it. Just take care when using the supplied punch to make the hole at the top of the goggles - that you both get it in the right location (i tried to get it as close to the lens as i could for comfort), and that you don't scratch the lense. Masking tape to protect the lens and a wooden block under the rubber goggle surround to elevate it/give a firm surface against which to hammer the punch through worked for me.

Mines been great actually. In actual fact, that type of goggle (Pyramex are the OEM) do amazingly well on their own for fogging, but the Novritsch antifog thingy has worked superbly for e.g. CQB, and the magnetic interface between the goggle insert and the tubes works really well.

I'm thinking an oldskool M16A1 would look great with the plastic furniture clad in that wrap as well.... In actual fact i spotted what looked like an A1 with wooden furniture in an episode of 'The Continental' on amazon a week or so back (cracking viewing if you haven't seen it yet).